Virtually Free (2020)

Every year about 300,000 kids are confined in youth detention in the US, limiting their potential to succeed in life. 70-80% will be re-arrested within 2 or 3 years of being released and nearly 2/3 will never complete high school. Richmond, Virginia's families, police, judges, artists, and activists have united to change this in their own community. Virtually Free is a documentary about unlikely allies who partner to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration. Produced by the non-profit media company Shine Global, Virtually Free is directed by André Robert Lee In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations' program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they've helped create.